FreedomWorks Urges Activists to Call Speaker Boehner’s Office to Stop the Fiscal Conservative Purge FreedomWorksPress Release Washington, DC- Following news that fiscally conservative Congressmen David Schweikert (R-AZ), Justin Amash (R-MI) and Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) have been removed from their committee positions by Republican leadership, FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe released the following statement: “Is there room in the House Republican Conference for legislators who believe that Washington is spending too much money it does not have? Based on this remarkably hostile act by leadership, the answer may be no. This is a clear attempt on the part of Republican leadership to...

Winter hit Moscow furiously in the last days of November causing colossal traffic jams, but the political climate remains hot as if the electoral season and the government reshuffle did not end in May. President Vladimir Putin announced plans for several trips and scheduled the annual president’s address to the Federal Assembly for mid-December, seeking to catch up on the time he lost walled up in his residence outside Moscow for the past several weeks. Putin indeed needs to block the mutually reinforcing dynamics of spreading discontent and escalating squabbles among the elite clans, but he is set to discover...

Bob Costas' gun control rant was bad but made worse by one key point -- he lives much of his life with the benefit of armed security. (i.e., men with guns). If you've ever been to an NFL game this point is academic. The number of armed policemen you pass between the gate your seat is incredible. And if you get behind the scenes, in certain corridors, the armed presence can be just as strong (or stronger). ... Remember when Rosie O'Donnell spent what seemed like years on her gun rants? Those rants lost their effectiveness when the focus turned...

In a move to more closely mirror California's anti-hunting environment, the Nevada Department of Wildlife will be hearing a petition to ban the use of hounds by hunters when bear hunting. This proposal will be considered by the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners (NVBWC) at its meeting in Reno this Saturday, December 8. Their agenda and guidelines for public comment can be viewed here[PDF] (petition details are under 17 and guidelines are under 22). Hunting with dogs is a tradition that continues across the country. Many dog breeds with select characteristics for hunting can be traced back for thousands of...

To kick this week off we thought we'd bring you these pictures showing that France has become the second nation in the world to (publicly) fly a stealth UAV. These images show Dassault's nEUROn (yes, it's really written that way) making its maiden flight in Istres on Dec. 1. nEUROn is a technology demonstrator; basically it's a plane used to prove that all the tech Dassault has designed for a stealth, unmanned strike jet will actually work. Here are some stats about nEUROn from Dassault: "With a length of 10 meters, a wingspan of 12.5 meters and an empty weight...

Oprah Winfrey has lost her long-held title as the richest black woman in the world to a Nigerian oil tycoon, according to a report by an African business magazine. Edging out Oprah is Folorunsho Alakija, a 61-year-old woman from Nigeria who is reportedly worth at least $3.2 billion, or roughly $500 million more than Oprah's $2.7 billion net worth, Ventures Africa reported. Alakija is the founder and owner of Famfa Oil, which owns a 60 per cent interest in OML 127, an offshore oil field that produces roughly 200,000 barrels of oil per day and is worth an estimated $6.44...

Former Senator Bob Dole, 89 years old and in a wheelchair, went onto to the floor of the Senate today to urge his former colleagues to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities. Mr. Dole, a disabled veteran, has been one of the leading voices urging ratification of the treaty, which seeks to bring the world closer to the high standard set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark civil-rights law enacted under President George H.W. Bush.

Boris Johnson has condemned the government for urging eurozone countries to form closer economic links as he demanded a referendum on Britain’s relationship with the European Union. The Chancellor and Prime Minister believe it is essential that the 17 eurozone countries move towards closer union of their banking and fiscal policies. However, the Mayor of London said the Government was backing an “intellectually dishonest” and “anti-democratic” approach. …

A Paris-based trickster has been charged with flooding the art market with forged paintings of India's most famous and controversial modern artist, M.F. Husain, police say. The 32-year-old man, identified as Sofiane B., was arrested last month following a complaint from a city art dealer. He was charged with a number of offences and placed under judicial supervision on a hefty bail after a 48-hour detention. Based in the working-class northern quarter of Saint-Ouen, where the city's most famous flea market is located, Sofiane B. took advantage of Husain's advanced age to get him to sign paintings done by others,...

Most of the actions in the US-Iran covert war remain mysterious and unclaimed – until one side sees an advantage in shining light on an incident. That’s what Iran has done with the drone capture. This image taken from the Iranian state TV's Arabic-language channel Al-Alam, showed what the Iranian government says is an intact U.S. ScanEagle drone aircraft. Iranian claims – and US denials – that Iran captured an American reconnaissance drone flying over Iranian territory in recent days offers little in the way of clarity, other than this: The covert war between the two adversaries continues. Iran’s Revolutionary...

Stabile, 23, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 42-year-old Bradley Suessine in Deerfield Beach, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.Authorities say the suspect charged with killing a homeless man in a Deerfield Beach alley confessed to the crime in a 911 call released Tuesday. “Um, alright I’m on psychotic medications,” the caller, identified by the Broward Sheriff's Office as John Stabile, tells an operator in the call. “Um, I just stabbed a homeless man.” Stabile, 23, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 42-year-old Bradley Suessine in Deerfield Beach Saturday, according...

An "anti-energy" drink is being blamed for making middle-school students vomit and act lethargic.Some students from William R. Satz school in Holmdel, N.J., were reportedly sickened after they purchased Marley's Mellow Mood from their cafeteria and drank it, according to WNYW. Symptoms included vomiting, splitting headaches and feeling drowsy."It was like a zombiefest," one student told the news station.Marley's Mellow Mood, named after Bob Marley and made in partnership with the Marley family, are "100 percent natural relaxation beverages" made from natural ingredients. According to the official website, the drinks are supposed to reduce stress and calm a person down....

The Army's highest legal branch appointed a new judge to preside over the case of the Fort Hood shooting suspect, indicating the court-martial is on track to move forward after lengthy delays. U.S. Army Col. Tara Osborn was named Tuesday to head the case of Maj. Nidal Hasan, who faces the death penalty if convicted in the 2009 shootings that killed 13 and wounded more than two dozen on the Texas Army post.

Two of the Republican Party’s most promising presidential prospects on Tuesday outlined their vision of a renewed GOP that represents 100 percent of Americans, in an apparent effort to distance themselves from some of the blunders of the party’s most recent presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) both delivered speeches before an audience of influential conservative leaders at the Jack Kemp Foundation’s Leadership Award Dinner. Rubio received this year’s award, while Ryan was last year’s winner. Both lawmakers recalled the economic philosophy championed by Ryan’s mentor Kemp, the...

A high-profile refugee lawyer will face a Sydney court next month, accused of raping four men more than a decade ago. David Bitel has been charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecent assault. Police say the offences were committed at an office on Pitt Street in Sydney's CBD between 1995 and 2004. The 60-year-old is on strict conditional bail and will face court next month. Bitel is the managing partner at the firm Parish Patience Immigration Lawyers. On the firm's website, Bitel is described as a "leader in his field". The list of...

Indian naval warship INS Ranjit (D53)India will deploy warships to the South China Sea if the country’s regional interests are compromised, the Indian Navy commander said. As China bolsters its military, the region has witnessed rising tensions over unresolved territorial disputes. India is not directly involved in any of the disputes, but its national interests are tied to the turbulent region, Admiral D K Joshi said on Monday, a day ahead of India’s Navy Day. Delhi may deploy its forces to the region if the situation deteriorates. “Are we preparing for it? Are we having exercises of that nature? The...

Dr. Jay Friedman relishes his role as dental outcast. Like a pesky younger brother who enjoys watching his siblings squirm, the 86-year-old dentist and public health advocate has for decades been poking and prodding at the oral health community over his personal obsession: wisdom teeth. Friedman has argued for more than 30 years that removing a young person's healthy wisdom teeth -- called "third molars" by professionals -- is an unnecessary and irresponsible practice. While many dentists and oral surgeons have dismissed him as a traitor and a zealot, in 2007, people in the public health arena began to listen....

Climate.gov’s Brian Kahn interviews Cynthia Rosenzweig, a climate impacts expert at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, co-chair of the New York City Panel on Climate Change, and director of the NOAA-sponsored Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast. Why should New Yorkers care about sea level rise? First of all, sea level rise is a big issue for millions of people in the U.S., not just New Yorkers. Twenty-three of the 25 most densely populated U.S. counties are on the coast. In New York, the full brunt of Hurricane Sandy has shown how powerful and damaging the effects...

Tax the rich: An animated fairy tale, is narrated by Ed Asner, with animation by Mike Konopacki. Written and directed by Fred Glass for the California Federation of Teachers. An 8 minute video about how we arrived at this moment of poorly funded public services and widening economic inequality. Things go downhill in a happy and prosperous land after the rich decide they don't want to pay taxes anymore. They tell the people that there is no alternative, but the people aren't so sure. This land bears a startling resemblance to our land. For more info, www.cft.org.

In 2008, research showed that expressing support for Barack Obama increased people's comfort in subsequently saying or doing things that might be considered racist. Researchers argued that endorsing a black political figure made people feel as if they had "non-racist credentials" that reduced their concern about subsequently seeming prejudiced. Now this same research group has identified a mental trick that people play to convince themselves that they have these same non-racist credentials: convincing themselves that they were presented with but passed up opportunities to act in racially insensitive ways in the past. In a series of new studies from the...

A non-profit clean energy group, Solar One, has been deploying solar generators to areas most affected by Hurricane Sandy. The group currently has several generators running in the Rockaways, and made a recent delivery to Midland Beach on Staten Island. The delivery went to a community-run center operating at St. Margaret Mary Roman Catholic Church. Adjacent to the church’s gymnasium is a building still without power. There, volunteers have set up services like a legal clinic, to help residents with their paperwork, and a free store, packed with donated goods like soap and canned foods. Outside is a small yard...

The Muslim Public Affairs Council’s choice of location for its 12th Annual Convention on December 15 is telling: The All Saints Episcopal Church of Pasadena, California. The group, founded by Muslim Brotherhood followers, says this is the “next step in its mission by crossing the interfaith line.” Yet again, the Islamists are taking advantage of naďve Christians with a desire to show off their tolerance. … Hassan Hathout says they sought to begin the “Islamic Movement” in the U.S., a term the Brotherhood uses to describe its ideology. In 1997, he predicted its success because “America needs Islam. If you...

When the facts and law are not in one’s favor, there is a natural temptation to appeal to the emotions of your target audience in order to win an argument. This is referred to as argumentum ad passiones—an attempt to manipulate an audience’s emotions by pulling on their heartstrings in order to bring them to your side. Such is the case with Senator John Kerry’s (D–MA) appeal in today’s Huffington Post in support of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international human rights treaty that is scheduled for an up-or-down vote tomorrow at noon. …...

Citing an unproven assertion from the September Office of Inspector General’s report on Fast and Furious gunwalking, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa issued a statement yesterday on the departure of Eric Holder’s Chief of Staff, Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler. “ ... Grindler was appropriately faulted by his Department’s own Inspector General for keeping information about a connection between the murder of a Border Patrol Agent and a mishandled department operation away from the Attorney General and the Department of Homeland Security,” Issa asserted. “We determined that Grindler learned on December 17, 2010, of the...

On Tuesday, November 20, Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity chief scientist John Grotzinger told NPR that an upcoming announcement about data from a recently collected soil sample by Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument would be “one for the history books.” This comment fueled speculation about the possible discovery of evidence indicating past or present life on Mars. Curiosity rover on December 3 during a press conference at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, California. Explaining the announcement, Space.com describes that Curiosity “found evidence of chlorine, sulfur, and water in Mars dirt studied by...

TORONTO --(Ammoland.com)- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Teachers’) has announced an agreement for the acquisition of Plano Molding Company, Inc. (Plano), the premier supplier of outdoor sports storage systems. Based in Plano, Illinois, and founded in 1932, Plano is recognized as the leading brand in fishing and fall sports markets where it enjoys leading market shares in tackle boxes, bait storage, gun cases, archery cases, and ice fishing products. It also produces cases for cosmetics, tools and crafts, as well as storage containers and shelving for home and office. Teachers’ is making the acquisition through its private equity investment division, Teachers’...

Explanation: What's happening at the north pole of Saturn? A vortex of strange and complex swirling clouds. The center of this vortex was imaged in unprecedented detail last week by the robotic Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn. These clouds lie at the center of the unusual hexagonal cloud system that surrounds the north pole of Saturn. Saturn's north pole precessed into sunlight just a few years ago, with Cassini taking only infrared images of the shadowed region previously. The above image is raw and unprocessed and is being prepared for release in 2013. Several similar images of the region have recently...

As NATO in Brussels gave the go-ahead Tuesday night, Dec. 4, for the deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles to protect Turkey against Syrian missiles, DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources reported that convoys of the Syrian army’s chemical weapons units headed out of Damascus under cover of dark and turned north up the road to Aleppo. Their destination is not yet known. The convoys were ferrying self-propelled cannons for firing shells loaded with poisonous sarin gas. Syrian President Bashar Assad had evidently decided to ignore the warnings President Barack Obama issued Monday night that there would be consequences if he or...

President Barack Obama is expected to announce his nominees for secretaries of state and defense in the next two weeks, with former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel on the short list of potential choices to head the Pentagon, senior administration officials said on Tuesday. Hagel, whose appointment would give Obama's reshuffled second-term Cabinet a bipartisan cast, met the Democratic president at the White House this week to discuss a post on his national security team. But there was no sign that Obama had decided on any of the key nominations he will put forth. … Other top contenders to replace Defense...

Our political parties have an alarming problem with white middle-class voters. Both parties failed to connect with them in this presidential election — from rural voters in the Midwest, Plains and Allegheny Mountains to Iowa’s “Reagan Democrats” (who did not show up for Republican Mitt Romney), as well as along the Appalachian Trail from New York to Mississippi (which rejected Democrat Barack Obama). Many pundits point to high turnout by minorities and young people as the key component of Obama’s victory. But Sean Trende, an analyst at RealClearPolitics, points to a problem that flew under the radar: White voters did...

Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks, charged in an exclusive Newsmax TV interview that House Speaker John Boehner and the nation’s GOP leadership are “incredibly hostile” to “fiscal conservatives, who are really the standard-bearers for what it means to be Republican.” “You are for fiscal responsibility. You believe that we shouldn’t raise taxes. You believe that we should balance the budget—and you should believe that you keep your promises that you make on the campaign trail when you come to Washington,” Kibbe says. “It’s damaging to the Republican brand, and you’re seeing this division between those who have maybe...

A Republican senator underscored division within his party ranks on Tuesday by opposing a plan by the top Republican to increase tax revenues as part of a possible deal to avert the “fiscal cliff.” Senator Jim DeMint, a favorite of the anti-tax Tea Party movement, said the proposal by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner for $800 billion in increased tax revenues would “destroy jobs and allow Washington politicians” to swell, not reduce, the deficit. …

The Republican House Steering Committee header by Speaker of the House John Boehner kicked two of the most conservative representatives off the House Budget Committee. Party Over Principle: Boehner Boots Conservatives off Budget Committee The New American 04 December 2012 In a speech to the House of Representatives in January 2011, then newly-elected Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed that he would â€śrenew focus on the Constitution.â€ť Then, on Tuesday, Boehner demonstrated his lack of fidelity to that promise by politically ostracizing two of the most staunch constitutionalists in the House. Representatives Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) and Justin...

After nearly two years of fighting, Syria’s vaunted war machine is showing serious cracks as emboldened rebels snap up more bases and airfields and force army units to retrench behind defensive lines in major cities, Western officials and military analysts say. Bolstered by a steady flow of arms from foreign backers, opposition forces have scored a series of tactical victories in the Damascus suburbs in recent days and are advancing steadily toward the city’s airport, adding to what some analysts view as a sense of momentum that has been building since late summer. Powerful antitank and antiaircraft weapons have helped...

Chicago (8-4) at Minnesota (6-6) - 1:00 p.m. (Line: Chicago by 3) The Bears have lost three of their last four games. Their lone victory in that stretch came against Minnesota. The Vikings are 5-1 at home this year. Quarterback Christian Ponder has thrown for more than 200 yards just twice in his last six games, and for more than 150 yards just three times in his last six outings. ---RJ's Pick: Minnesota by 3 New York Jets (5-7) at Jacksonville (2-10) - 1:00 p.m. (Line: New York Jets by 2.5) As of this writing, no one knows who will...

A new Boeing 787 Dreamliner flown by United Airlines was diverted in midflight to New Orleans on Tuesday because of concern about a possible mechanical problem. The plane was headed to Newark from Houston when it descended over a 10-minute span to 31,000 feet from 41,000 feet and slowed to 480 miles an hour from 655, according to FlightAware.com, a data provider. The plane, which carried 174 passengers and 10 crew members, then rapidly recovered its speed and turned sharply to the south over Mississippi, according to the Web site’s flight log. After the incident, United, the first North American...

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But for one man from northern China, this was not the case. Earlier this year, Jian Feng, divorced and sued his wife for being ugly. He won his case and was awarded a little under Ł75,000 by the judge, Fox 31 reported. Mr Feng said he took issue with his wife’s looks only after the couple’s daughter was born. He was shocked by the child’s appearance, calling her ‘incredibly ugly’ and saying she looked like neither one of her parents. Mr Feng was so outraged that he initially accused his...

Salmon that has been genetically modified to grow twice as fast as normal could soon show up on American dinner plates. That is, if the company that makes the fish can stay afloat. --snip-- Using gene-manipulating technology, Aquabounty adds a growth hormone to the Atlantic salmon from another type of salmon called the Chinook. The process, company executives say, causes its salmon to reach maturity in about two years, compared with three to four years for a conventional salmon. Aquabounty executives say if their fish are approved for commercial sale, there are several safeguards designed to prevent the fish from...

U.S. agents on assignment in Mexico, where they are helping the local authorities go after violent drug cartels, are not allowed to carry weapons for their own protection, a situation that one lawmaker says could turn into “another Benghazi.” Because the official role of U.S. agents south of the border is limited to intelligence gathering and training their Mexican counterparts, they are barred by Mexico from carrying weapons. The danger they face was underscored last month, when 15 Mexican National Police were arrested in connection with the attempted murder of two CIA agents in August. ... Obama gave tacit approval...

California --(Ammoland.com)- To assist policymakers and to educate the public, hunting and recreational shooting organizations have launched a website to make the facts and science of the lead ammunition debate available. Policymakers and hunters are urged to register at the Hunt for Truth website and to subscribe to the Hunt for Truth email list to receive e-bulletins with the latest breaking news and information on the lead ammunition issue. www.huntfortruth.org Self-proclaimed environmental organizations are trying to prohibit the use of traditional ammunition consisting of lead core components in hunting and recreational shooting. They claim that some scavenging animals, like the...

The Eighties action flick Red Dawn has been redone. It’s preposterous that Soviet Russia’s dilapidated economy, let alone North Korea in the remake, could marshal sufficient logistical capacity to project more than a token force across an ocean. Given the Communist Party USA’s ecstatic response to Barrack Obama’s re-election, Democrats may be succeeding where the Red Army dared not tread. CPUSA’s Sam Webb gloats, “The Communist Party said a year ago that the 2012 elections would be the main front of the class and democratic struggle, and subsequent events have confirmed that fact... Had Romney won the Presidency and the...

Bob Costas is in trouble with football fans, a large majority of which are gun owners, and his insulting attempt at an apology is only adding fuel to the fire. --IMAGE HERE-- But let’s start at the beginning. It all started with FoxSports.com columnist Jason Whitlock. In the wake of the media frenzy surrounding Jovan Belcher’s murder of his girlfriend and subsequent suicide, Whitlock penned an article in which he launched a scathing attack on the Second Amendment and those who value it. He starts his rant with an assertion that the Second Amendment is threatening to the very liberty...

FORT HUACHUCA — When one thinks of Christmas, music is always involved, said the 62nd U.S. Army Band commander. “No other season is more identified with music than Christmas,” Chief Warrant Officer Tom Bauer said Monday. In a room near his office on Fort Huachuca, some band members were packing up after rehearsing, while in another room, members of the band’s jazz combo were practicing some of the music they will play at a number of venues before Dec. 20. People who believe all an Army band does is march to music in any number of ceremonies — such as...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- As the Michigan legislature works through the final weeks of its 2011-2012 session, the state Senate approved Senate Bill 59 by a vote of 27 to 11 (vote is on page 2307). This bill was sent to the House where it has been assigned to the Committee on Natural Resources, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation. This pro-Second Amendment reform legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Green (R-Mayville) would streamline the process for a concealed weapons license, while creating expanded carry zones in previously prohibited places for those who are willing to undergo enhanced training. Along with many other improvements,...

New York State Senate Democrats are furious today over an unprecedented agreement reached by Republicans and conservative-leaning Democrats who disbanded from their party to form their own caucus. The move forms a "bipartisan governing coalition" between Republicans and the Independent Democratic Conference, just a month after Democrats won a numerical majority in the chamber. Under the agreement, Republicans and the IDC will shift control every two weeks between GOP Leader Dean Skelos and IDC Leader Jeffrey Klein. On Tuesday, Sen. Malcolm Smith, a Democrat from Queens, became the fifth Democrat to defect and join the IDC. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-state-senate-independent-democrat-conference-republicans-dean-skelos-2012-12#ixzz2E90cIdhX